Finding Rhododendron forrestii, and how I learned we definitely aren't growing any rhododendrons

Back when I visited the Rhododendron Species Botanical Garden (post here), I was especially enamored with Rhododendron forrestii

The way it hugged the ground and spread out seemed quite fantastic.

As luck would have it I happened to know Roger Gossler (of Gossler Farms) was making a trip up to Portland last week and so I emailed him to see if he might have one of these kicking around. 

And he did! And now it's mine!

This one is Rhododendron forrestii ssp. forrestii Tumescens, and while I'm not growing it for the flowers it's still exciting to see buds. Pictures seem to say they're more red than pink so that's a win in my book.

I do love the foliage...

And I'm thrilled to find such a low, creeping evergreen.

Naturally I shared my joy with Andrew who expressed concern that this meant we—once again—were growing rhododendrons. Hadn't we rid ourselves of that oh so common plant, the one so emblematic of the coastal half of the Pacific Northwest? You'll find no rhododendrons in this garden!

Oh but there are! Honey we have eight rhododendrons in the garden. Three R. sinogrande...

A Rhododendron 'Wine and Roses' (which you may have seen above ^) that isn't looking great at the moment. I don't think it enjoyed our brief winter interlude after a very mild winter.

Here's what it looked like when it was planted out last spring...

Speaking of not looking good, aye yi yi! My poor Rhododendron pachysanthum has been through hell. Too shaded and then snacked on by what I assume are root weevils. 

I do hope to resuscitate it this spring, in fact I've already given it a hard prune and opened up the plants around it to allow more light in. Here's a palate cleansing image of the powdery undersides of pachysanthum's leaves...

Next up...I still sometimes forget this plant is a rhododendron, as I came to know it as an azalea. Rhododendron stenopetalum 'Linearifolium'...

The blooms echo the foliage shape...

Rhododdendron 'Ebony Pearl' is another that came to my garden via Roger, I love that dark foliage...

And the final rhododendron in our "no rhododendron garden" (now with nine rhododendrons) is this one, R. laramie...

I really don't mean to make fun. I just thought it was funny that he was so adamant that we DID NOT have any rhododendrons in the garden, when in fact there are several!

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Weather Diary, March 18: Hi 56, Low 41/ Precip .16 

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